Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Pakistan flood data wasted, say critics
Scientists have amassed and processed plenty of data on the Pakistan floods, but there are bottlenecks to its use downstream, say scientists.
Video: BP to Begin 'Bottom Kill' Operation
BP is prepared to being its "Bottom Kill" operation, the final part of its effort to seal the broken well in the Gulf of Mexico. Mark Strassmann reports.
US urges focus on clean-up, sea damage after BP spill
US officials on Sunday urged further study of the damage done to the environment by BP's broken well, and said clean-up efforts must continue despite claims that much of the...
Gulf Keystone updates Iraqi oil estimate
ERBIL, Iraq, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Testing of a section of a discovery well in Iraqi Kurdistan points to significant oil deposits in the region, oil explorer Gulf Keystone...
Gulf Of Mexico Dead Zone
Annual measurement reveals record hypoxic zone, but not necessarily related to the oil spill.
Global Climate Talks Troubled by U.S. Inaction
Senate Delay of Bill to Cut Greenhouse Gases Fuels Mistrust of America's Willingness to Address Critical Problem
Blast kills five at Iranian gas plant
TEHRAN, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Five workers were killed and three others were injured when a blast ripped through a petrochemical plant in southern Iran, the government announced. ...
Agency Issues Report on Oil's Fate
The government remains concerned about ecological damage that has already occurred in the gulf.
Everest pioneers 'hit by storm'
An extreme storm may have contributed to the deaths of mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine on Mount Everest in 1924.
'Ribbit Radio' shows frog population estimates are likely flawed
Scientists track amphibian populations because these animals are sensitive to changes in their environment and can serve as 'canaries in the coal mine' to give researchers early warnings about pollution...
Climate talks settle Saudi affair
Saudi Arabia accepts activists' apologies for their "repugnant" action at the last session of UN climate talks, amid warnings that time is running out for a deal on emissions.
U.S., Canada cooperate in sea floor survey
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Canadian and U.S. icebreakers will be mapping the arctic sea floor to help settle how much of it each country can claim as its...
Is biochar the answer for agriculture? Long-term study digs up new information on biochar’s ability to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from soils
Scientists have found that over several months, biochar applied to soil can significantly reduce emissions of nitrous oxide and leaching of nitrates.
Nord Stream pipes half completed
ZUG, Switzerland, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Almost half of the pipes needed to lay the Nord Stream gas pipeline on the Baltic Sea floor are processed, the Switzerland-based consortium...
Concerns mount over BP work in Libya
ROME, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A moratorium on oil drilling in the Mediterranean may be appropriate as British oil company BP prepares for work in Libya, an Italian official...
South Stream has solid foundation
BERLIN, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The members of the South Stream natural gas pipeline project have the leadership and the gas to move ahead, an official at Gazprom said. ...
Mines and wines in Australia climate battle
Australian winemaker Brett Keating doesn't draw a parallel between the shorter, hotter seasons and slow creep of coal mining towards his land, but he is concerned.
Oily waters, soiled beaches weigh on gulf town
Grand Isle, the first village in Louisiana to fall victim to the oil spill, faces a murky future as oil continues to wash ashore. ...
George Shultz challenges California to lead
Voters should defeat Proposition 23 and fight global warming, the former secretary of State says. ...
Students get a feel for soil-water relationships
MADISON, WI, August 2nd, 2010 – Using little more than PVC rings, a trashcan, and a scale, students can literally get a feel for soil water retention and field capacity,...
Is It Hot in Here? Must Be Global Warming.
In any debate over climate change, conventional wisdom holds that there is no reflex more absurd than invoking the local weather. But both sides still do it.
Hackers crack high-tech locks
Security maverick Marc Tobias showed hackers on Saturday how simple it is to defeat some of the world's top high-tech locks.
U.S.-Canadian mission set to map Arctic seafloor
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - U.S. and Canadian scientists are headed far north on a joint mission to map the still mysterious floor of the Arctic Ocean, as questions of sovereignty...
A journey of discovery on the L.A. River
An expedition along a muddy strech of the waterway offers a glimpse into the potential recreational and environmental jewel running through the city. ...
Wildfires devouring B.C. forests
A campfire ban continues across most of British Columbia as wildfires ignited by lightning earlier in the week continue to devour tinder-dry forests.
Cities may be attracting hurricanes
Modelling shows that a built-up coast can alter the path of tropical cyclones
BP pulls back oil spill cleanup operation
As miles of protective boom are retrieved from the gulf, biologists are concerned about wildlife habitats where the plastic barriers have become entangled. As visible slicks on the surface of the Gulf of...
EPA releases cataract prediction
WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- Efforts to protect Earth's ozone layer will mean 22 million fewer cases of cataracts for Americans born between 1985 and 2100, a report predicts. ...